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Michelle Bishop joins the show for the 6.45 sports update

Rookie Maddy Gordon has been named in the national netball side for the 2020-21 season, joining a group that is largely unchanged from the one that claimed the 2019 World Cup.Coach Noeline Taurua has brought in the uncapped Gordon, who just two days ago topped off a strong personal ANZ Premiership campaign with another title playing for the Central Pulse.The 20-year-old helps freshen up a midcourt that no longer has the services of former captain and World Cup winner Laura Langman, who just yesterday announced her retirement from netball.Gordon made her debut in the ANZ Premiership last year, and has emerged as one of the country's best defensive midcourters with great speed and stamina.Joining her in the middle is Pulse teammate Claire Kersten who gets a recall. Despite nine games to her credit after debuting in 2017, Kersten has not featured since New Zealand's embarrassing 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. But she returns with plenty of form, having been one of the standout centres during the domestic season.Langman is one of three players missing from the side that won last year's World Cup, along with Maria Folau and Casey Kopua. Mystics captain Phoenix Karaka has not been named due to her recently announced pregnancy.Mystics pair Michaela Sokolich-Beatson and Bailey Mes have been added despite both in the process of injury recovery. It is unlikely they will feature before the end of the year, should the Silver Ferns even get on court.Star shooter Ameliaranne Ekenasio remains the team's skipper and will have continued support from vice-captains Gina Crampton and Jane Watson.The development squad, which will work closely with Taurua and the first team, is headlined by exciting Mystics shooter Grace Nweke.Both squads will begin camp in October.2020/21 Silver Ferns Squad - Karin Burger, Gina Crampton, Ameliaranne Ekenasio (C), Sulu Fitzpatrick, Maddy Gordon, Kelly Jury, Claire Kersten, Bailey Mes, Kimiora Poi, Katrina Rore, Shannon Saunders, Te Paea Selby-Rickit, Michaela Sokolich-Beatson, Whitney Souness, Jane Watson, Maia Wilson2020/21 Silver Ferns Development Squad - Ellie Bird, Aliyah Dunn, Tayla Earle, Temalisi Fakahokotau, Monica Falkner, Kate Heffernan, Jamie Hume, Erena Mikaere, Grace Nweke, Samantha Winders

On our second episode of Hear If You Need for the 2020 Suncorp Super Netball season, join Sharelle McMahon as she catches up with former teammate Julie Corletto. With Stannas absent this week, it was up to Shaz to get Julie's thoughts on Round 1, how to defend the supershot, her famous battle with Maria Folau and other stories from her playing days!

Resilience and composure the Silver Ferns displayed in spades en route to claiming the inaugural Netball Nations Cup title.The 67-56 victory at London's Copper Box Arena proved much tougher than many might have expected.In stark contrast to their three previous matches at this tournament, Jamaica dragged the Ferns into deep waters at times in the tournament final.Only in the second half, after Noeline Taurua injected rookie centre Kimiora Poi and wing attack Whitney Souness, did the Ferns regain the march on the combative Jamaicans.The scoreline says otherwise but this youthful Ferns squad, missing Laura Langman, Katrina Rore and adjusting to life without the retired Maria Folau and Casey Kopua, survived their greatest test of character to date.And on this evidence, the future looks bright for the world champions.Where New Zealand enjoyed complete dominance in comfortable victories over England, South Africa and Jamaica, who they beat by 26 goals in Birmingham last Thursday, this time the pressure gauge told a very different story.This is exactly the sort of battle that revealed everything about the temperament of Taurua's emerging squad.Once again, as she has throughout the tournament, Maia Wilson impressed at the shooting end with her poise proving pivotal on her way to nailing 44 from 47.So, too, will this be a huge confidence boost for Poi, the 22-year-old Tactix centre proving she can thrive on the big stage. Just yesterday she played her first full international against South Africa.Overall, having completed an unbeaten tournament, Taurua's squad have well exceeded expectations. In many ways this was a development tour for all involved but with Langman and Rore to comeback, there now promises to be intense internal competition.Taurua reverted to her favoured starting line-up and they initially repaid faith by starting with purpose.Capitalising on Phoenix Karaka's early intercept, New Zealand shot out to a 7-1 lead. Their zone defence, harnessing Karaka, Watson and Karin Burger, regularly forced Jamaica back by smothering Jhaniele Fowler's presence under the hoop.It didn't last, however. The Ferns lost accuracy in their attacking connections with several loose passes missing their targets and, suddenly, Jamaica drew level.Ameliaranne Ekenasio stepped up to nail the final shot that gave her side a 16-15 first quarter advantage but the nerves then began to set in.Jamaica continued their rhythm in the second quarter as long bombs into Fowler dropped which pushed the Sunshine Girls out to a two-goal lead.Down on troops, with shooter Bailey Mes nursing her injured knee and defender Michaela Sokolich-Beatson returning home for Achilles surgery, Taurua turned to her depleted squad to spark a comeback.Speed through the midcourt was the favoured approach.First Souness replaced Gina Crampton at wing attack and Taurua then showed immense faith in Poi by thrusting her to centre and pushing Shannon Saunders to wing defence with Burger moving to the bench.Those changes worked, with the Ferns levelling the contest at 30-30 by halftime.After the break Souness and Poi's speed through transition began to pay dividends as the Ferns pushed out to lead 49-41 by the end of the third quarter.Taurua rotated regularly throughout this series but only when the Ferns established a 10-goal lead in the final period did she again ring the changes.Crampton returned at wing attack, Burger to wing defence and Te Paea Selby-Rickit replaced captain Ekenasio to close out the fourth straight victory.England, meanwhile, finished third after narrowly sneaking past South Africa 65-63. 

Maria Folau retires from netball, The Hurricanes look to be on the hunt for a new head coach and we take a sneak peak at 'The blind grappler' a documentary about New Zealand's blind wrestling champion.

Silver Ferns Coach Noeline Taurua is ready for a small break over Christmas as she prepares for the start of the netball season in 2020. She joined Simon and Phil to chat about that incredible World Cup win, her plans over the holidays, moving back to New Zealand, and the retirement of netball great Maria Folau. LISTEN ABOVE

Maria Folau has decided to retire from netball after 150 games representing the Silver Ferns.Coach Noeline Taurua says she will be missed. 

Kayla Cullen accepts she'll now need need permission to play for the Silver Ferns again.The defender has signed for the Swifts for next year's Australian Super Netball competition.Players who play in Australia full time need special dispensation to be eligible for New Zealand, such as Laura Langman and Maria Folau."We're not too sure how that process goes at this point, but if the opportunity arises, I'll try to go down there."Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander's expressed dismay at the move because it comes at the expense of a young Australian.Cullen can see where Alexander's coming from, but is not letting that view affect her."I guess I've potentially taken a spot that an up and coming wing defence, goal defence might have filled, but I'm happy, it is what it is I guess."  

In Extra Time this week - after much cogitation and reading of crystal balls the Rugby World Cup is about to kick off. We're in Tokyo to preview the All Blacks tournament opener against South Africa. Netball New Zealand explains just why it's handing out more exemptions to Maria Folau and Laura Langman and the Warriors National Rugby League Women's side celebrate finally getting a home game.

In Extra Time this week - after much cogitation and reading of crystal balls the Rugby World Cup is about to kick off. We're in Tokyo to preview the All Blacks tournament opener against South Africa. Netball New Zealand explains just why it's handing out more exemptions to Maria Folau and Laura Langman and the Warriors National Rugby League Women's side celebrate finally getting a home game.

Should her contract be terminated

It's make or break for the Silver Ferns.Having claimed five straight wins in the Netball World Cup so far, the Ferns have impressed on court with confident and clinical play.However, the first real test arrives tomorrow night when New Zealand take on three-time defending champions, the Australian Diamonds.A win won't just be crucial for topping their pool - having already locked in a spot in the semifinals – but it will undoubtedly give them the confidence they need to bring the World Cup home."This is make or break," former Silver Ferns captain Bernice Mene said, "This is the one we've been waiting for, all of the other games have been leading into and have been practice towards this Australian game."Mene, who represented the Silver Ferns at the 1995 and 1999 Netball World Cups, said it was important the side left nothing unturned heading into the game."This is basically it. It could be our one crack at Australia and on advancing right through," she said. "It's a whole team effort right through the court."I think we've got the skills and understanding now to be able to do that ... We know that we've done it in the last five games, we can do it in this one."The Ferns' unsurprisingly claimed massive wins in their first five games against Malawi, Barbados, Singapore, Zimbabwe and Northern Ireland.More interestingly though has been the variety of changes and combinations Taurua put under the spotlight. Introducing long-time goal defender Katrina Rore at wing defence and interchanging the shooting circle with Maria Folau appearing at both goal shoot and goal attack, it's clear Taurua has a raft of game plans up her sleeve to combat any scenario.Hailing Taurua's approach in the opening games, Mene was confident the Ferns now have what it takes to combat Australia and their tough one-on-one defence tactics."Noeline has been working on combinations, she's also been working on, against the teams that are less strong we've come up against, not just firing the ball down the court in two passes like the other big strong teams have been doing," Mene said. "They've been working on passing it back to the line [and] running through scenarios."What we've seen is a very calm attacking unit and that holds us some good stead against the Australia defence because they're really niggly, they try and wear you down."The Aussies are always fit, we're fit, but I think it's about keeping our composure and keeping to our game plan which is what Noeline's been working on."The Silver Ferns will face the Australian Diamonds tomorrow night at 9:30 pm (NZT).Dependant on the result, New Zealand will then progress into one of the two semifinal matches, to be played either on Saturday night or Sunday morning (NZT). 

TVNZ presenter Hayley Holt was called out for "discriminating" against men's sport in a heated on-air debate with renowned sports journalist Scotty Stevenson.Stevenson and Holt were discussing last week's historic clash between the Silver Ferns and the New Zealand Men's Invitational team in the Cadbury Netball Series live on Breakfast on Friday morning. The men's side, which went on to take out the series with an 11-goal win over the Silver Ferns in the grand final on Saturday, earned high praise for their performances, with many netball fans delighted by the challenge they gave the Ferns ahead of the Netball World Cup.But when Stevenson shared a similar view while appearing on Breakfast, Holt hit back, calling the match "weird". Matt Wetere of the NZ Men defends Maria Folau of the Silver Ferns. Photo / Getty"How good was that game last night," Stevenson said before Holt rebutted."Unfortunately for the Silver Ferns, they don't need men to actually push them anymore because they get pushed by everybody," she said.Shocked by the comment, Stevenson quickly questioned Holt's stance."So the New Zealand men's team who never get television coverage, who are not recognised by the international netball federation, get the chance to play on the biggest stage against these Silver Ferns and you're saying it's a bad idea?" he asked."They're taller, they're heavier, they can throw the ball harder, I just think it's weird," replied Holt.Stevenson, who looked gobsmacked by Holt's comments continued questioning how the clash wasn't the best preparation for the Silver Ferns before Breakfast presenter Daniel Faitaua stepped in, accusing Holt of "just discriminating against men"."They get no coverage, they get no support for their sport," Stevenson added after agreeing "massively" with Faitaua."Oh those poor men getting no coverage, this is like welcome to our world. Seriously, welcome to our world," Holt responded before Stevenson made one final dig saying: "It's amazing when it's a female sport on the other side of the conversation, look at the reaction."Footage of the debate has since been shared on social media, with many users agreeing with Stevenson.Meanwhile, the Silver Ferns have expressed their thanks to the men's team for a challenging series on social media."This week was seriously great. Always grateful, but seriously humbling playing these guys. Couldn't have had a better battle on court and the respect was immense," Ferns shooter Ameliaranne Ekenasio posted following the grand final.The Silver Ferns depart for Liverpool this week ahead of their opening Netball World Cup game against Malawi on July 12.

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The Silver Ferns are backing their star shooter Maria Folau as she weathers the storm created by her husband Israel.Ahead of the Silver Ferns' three-game netball series in Auckland this week, Folau has been criticised for her decision to endorse her husband's crowd funding efforts in his legal fight against Rugby Australia.Despite the backlash, Silver Ferns assistant coach Debbie Fuller says the most important thing for the team is to fully support Folau during her "tough time"."It's a really complex issue for a start. It is something that we've been very well aware of. Our first port of call of course is to care for Maria," Fuller told D'Arcy Waldegrave."She's been a wonderful servant for netball for many years and she's held the shooting end of the Silver Ferns for many years and performed under massive pressure and won Commonwealth Games gold medals and things like that. So she's been a very highly valued member."Our first thought is to care for her over and above anything else because that's the most useful thing we can do at the moment. She's here to do a job, we're here to do a job and we've got to get on with it."LISTEN ABOVE TO THE FULL INTERVIEW

Liz Ellis effectively accused Maria Folau of supporting or endorsing homophobia in a comment on Twitter. There are serious problems with Liz's comments, problems which reveal a toxic practice of intolerance & bigotry against all people who identify with a culture and belief system centuries older than Islam: Christianity.

LISTEN TO NOELINE TAURUA DISCUSS THE WIN WITH RADIO SPORT BREAKFAST ABOVESilver Ferns 62 South Africa 60 (after extra-time)They did it the hard way but the Silver Ferns eventually delivered clinical composure to down South Africa in extra time of their final Quad Series match.Sixty minutes was not nearly enough to separate the teams in dramatic scenes at London's sold out Copper Box Arena.There were so many twists and turns it is hard to know where to begin.With seconds remaining in regular time, Ferns shooter Ameliaranne Ekenasio hit the long shot tie the game and force extra time.Down by two in the second seven-minute period of extra time, the Ferns somehow clawed their way back; Maria Folau dropping a long bomb to bring her side level and force the match to continue until one side established a two-goal lead.Bongiwe Msomi (left) and New Zealand Silver Ferns Karin Burger battle for the ball. Photo /GettyWith both teams out on their feet, finally the Ferns found a break and put the match to bed and take extra time 17-15.South Africa's only previous victory in 33 attempts against New Zealand came at the 1995 World Cup in Birmingham. Ironically, Ferns coaches Noeline Taurua and Debbie Fuller featured that day.One day after they shocked hosts England, South Africa threatened to repeat those efforts on New Zealand.But in a much-needed confidence boost after successive losses to England and Australia, Taurua's side refused to crumble.Much work remains with the World Cup in Liverpool only six months away but one win is certainly better than none.This time, the Ferns started with such promise.Rectifying their tendency to start slowly, they burst out of the blocks to score the first eight goals and justify Taurua's ploy for continuity in maintaining the starting seven which combined well for three quarters of yesterday's loss to Australia.Laura Langman dominated the middle, and Karin Burger again impressed at wing defence; her tall, strong presence nabbing three intercepts in the first quarter and one crucial tip in the final period with South Africa up by one.Burger is not the finished product but if there is one bright spark to come from this event it is her rapid emergence.In those early stages the Ferns were in total control. Sensing the game slipping away, Norma Plummer pushed Lenize Potgieter from goal attack back to her more accustomed goal shoot role – the switch allowing South Africa to quickly adjust and find their feet.Taking a five goal buffer into the first break, the Ferns started the second quarter in a shambolic state. Just as Ekenasio was due to return to court she suffered a bleeding nose. The confusion saw the Ferns start with six players, eventually injecting Maia Wilson at goal shoot and moving Maria Folau to goal attack.Wilson, in her first appearance of the tournament, struggled to shake the nerves. She hit 5/6 but two fumbles were turned over and she also gave away one penalty.The Ekenasio disruption, combined with too many erratic moments from the Ferns on attack with ball thrown away or squandered, gave South Africa regular chances to chip away at the lead.They did just that, taking the second quarter 11-8 and heading to half time two points adrift.Once again, problematic inconsistency plagued the Ferns.Ekenasio returned after the interval. By that stage, though, South Africa found their tempo and applied further pressure to take the third quarter by two goals and draw level for the final turn.South Africa nailed their centre pass and, so, all the pressure fell on the Ferns to chase the game from then on.This time they delivered. 

LISTEN TO MARG FOSTER TALK WITH D'ARCY AND GORAN ABOVEOnce again, not nearly good enough from the Silver Ferns.Their quest to turn the page in 2019 displayed early signs of promise. At this level, though, meritorious ultimately counts for little.For the first half of this match at least, the Ferns went toe-to-toe with England in Liverpool to open the northern Quad Series.As the contest wore on, though, the experienced hosts comfortably pulled away; their dominant 54-41 victory confirming their favouritism to claim this tournament for the first time.Noeline Taurua used all 12 squad members and handed test debuts to defender Erena Mikaere, who replaced Jane Watson in the third quarter, and 21-year-old midcourter Kimiora Poi, injected just before half time.But having set a target of two wins from three in this series, which comes six months out from the Netball World Cup at this same venue, much work remains for Taurua over the next six days before facing Australia in London.That is now a must win scenario to suggest genuine progress is being made.As it stands, this result equalled New Zealand's worst defeat to England - Taurua's first match at the helm in Auckland last September.One win from the last six tests is poor by anyone's standards.But, like anything, context is important.England have now won the four straight matches against the Ferns – six of the past nine. They are also, of course, Commonwealth Games champions, having stunning Australia on the Gold Coast last year.And in front of a boisterous home crowd, they started with intent to prove that result was no fluke.The Ferns, by comparison began poorly, conceding the first three goals.The experienced Serena Guthrie owned the midcourt, giving Sam Sinclair, starting at centre, a difficult time.The Ferns regrouped to establish attacking fluidity but England did enough to hold a 13-12 first quarter advantage.Casey Kopua's return, the former skipper playing her first international since 2015 after coming out of retirement, brought rewards in combination with Watson.England's reunited shooting duo, Helen Housby and Jo Harten, are one of the best in the world yet the Ferns pair forced England back; applied pressure and extracted several errors.With Laura Langman driving through court from wing defence, Ameliaranne Ekenasio punching out of the circle and Whitney Souness looping around, the Ferns attack showed patience but frustrating, erratic moments and indecision were still too evident.Too often Sinclair proved the weak link. Thus she was pulled just before half time, with Poi taking her place.At half time, England maintained their one goal lead.There after it seemed every time the Ferns threatened individual errors or missed connections prevailed. The final quarter but one example; defender Karin Burger binned for aggressive contact.The third quarter also proved costly as the Ferns slipped 10 goals behind.The shooting end, Maria Folau (32/29) and Ekenasio (12/13), produced high percentages but did not receive enough quality ball.Plenty, then, for Taurua to ponder.In the other of this double header, meanwhile, Australia got off to a shaky start with their final 62-45 win over South Africa proving flattering.Australian coach Lisa Alexander's initial experimental line up was exposed early as Norma Plummer's South Africa applied early pressure and shot out to a surprise five goal lead at the first quarter mark.That forced Alexander to inject her more experienced figures, allowing Australia to gradually pull away.South Africa will take heart, though; this performance a vast improvement on the 24 goal defeat the last time these teams met.For Australia, defending world champions, Bassett's absence was clear and South Africa shooter Lenize Potgieter had ample room to move for much of the match. 

LISTEN TO LAURA LANGMAN TALK WITH D'ARCY AND GORAN ABOVEFormer New Zealand captain Katrina Rore (nee Grant) was a shock omission from the Silver Ferns squad to contest next month's Quad Series in England.Netball New Zealand selectors announced a squad of 12 to head to England next month where the Silver Ferns will play the hosts along with Australia and South Africa from January 13-20.The latest selection proved one of coach Noeline Taurua's toughest yet during her short reign as head coach, as she put 25 hopefuls through a rigorous training camp in Auckland this week.The biggest surprise was the omission of Rore, who captained the Silver Ferns during their disastrous Commonwealth Games campaign."It was a tough call in that defensive end, we're very clear about the areas that we want to put out on court or each player to be able to do and it just happened to be that others were able to do it better," said Taurua. "She's not included in this squad for Northern Quad but everybody will be available for the Worlds."Katrina has had a massive couple of years and even though she's totally disappointed, I know she will be back and this opportunity also gives her the possibility of doing other things outside of netball."I need people who can perform and consistently perform and the ones who have been selected performed over this week."Taurua said with the step up in intensity, her job of selecting had become more difficult particularly through the mid-court and defensive ends which hold plenty of promise."I'm liking what I'm seeing," she said. "I liked the quality that was out there and that people certainly weren't taking their position for granted."Our strength is the collective. Everybody has contributed to the final 12 and because of that the door will remain open for everybody going into the ANZ Premiership. This is just one stage of the journey of where we need to get to. I'm grateful we have all committed we will do it together."With Rore out of the mix, Erena Mikaere, who played under Taurua at the Sunshine Coast Lightning, earned Silver Ferns selection for the first time to join recalled Pulse defender Karin Burger and veteran Casey Kopua in the defence circle."Erena obviously brings height to our defensive circle and her experience of playing against the Australian style for a number of years," Taurua said."And the experience and knowledge that Casey brings to the squad is invaluable."Young mid-courter Kimiora Poi ends a remarkable year on a high with her selection following a stand-out ANZ Premiership and backed up by her performances with the FAST5 Ferns and during the Silver Ferns camp.She joins experienced campaigners Laura Langman, Sam Sinclair and Gina Crampton, along with Whitney Souness who has earned a recall."This mid-court is an area we are continuing to develop and we felt that we needed to strengthen those combinations," Taurua said."We felt that both Kimiora and Whitney bring something different to the centre and wing attack positions – they bring a new set of skills to the role, are extremely fit and also show a confidence for such young athletes."The shooting end had a more settled look including Maria Folau and Ameliaranne Ekenasio, while the inclusion of Maia Wilson is a chance for the young shooter to impress in what is a big year for the Silver Ferns.Taurua felt she had enough cover with just three shooters, through the experience of both Folau and Ekenasio while Wilson is well known for her accuracy.She said it was now crucial for players to step up and take responsibility for their roles on court with a Netball World Cup looming."There's nowhere to hide," Taurua said. "If people don't do their own job then it impacts on somebody else, and that shows when we play on court."I think there's been improvement overall and a better understanding of what is expected and our ability to put that out on court."But she also confirmed that the door remained opened for those still pushin...

LISTEN TO JENNY WOODS TALK WITH RADIO SPORT BREAKFAST ABOVEIt's the moment Kiwi netball fans have been waiting for.The Silver Ferns finally put an end to their near-historic nine-game losing streak against the Australian Diamonds to claim their first win 55-44 in the 2018 Constellation Cup at Hamilton's Claudelands Arena.After showing patches of promise throughout the first two tests in Australia, losing 57-42 in Brisbane and 56-47 in Townsville, the Ferns finally proved they know how to win – and how to win well.Silver Ferns captain Laura Langman said it was very special to claim the win on home ground."It's really nice to be fair and I think there's no place like home to do it," Langman said after the clash, "Ultimately for us, it just reinforced that what we're doing, we're on the right track.""We knew it was there and we just had to be patient … for me the win is really a reinforcement that our processes, when we get them right [and] when we have the discipline and the patience to stick to them, the scoreboard takes care of itself."Silver Ferns head coach Noeline Taurua was pleased to add a win against Australia to her short record in charge of the national side but was hesitant to get too excited, urging that there were still plenty of areas to address."From my end, I can just see the gaps, I know that sounds terrible, but I can see room for improvement," Taurua said."It's within our grasp to not only win the [final] but also the cup as well so I'm absolutely rapt that we're still in the game but we've got to be able to put it into action."Great improvements from where we were and it's great to get the [win] on the board … [but] time will tell whether we can back ourselves up."Taking a narrow one-goal lead after the first quarter, the Ferns took control with Maria Folau and Te Paea Selby-Rickit's shooting efforts.In a bid to settle her side, Diamonds coach Lisa Alexander called Caitlin Bassett on at goal shoot after starting her on the bench, but even the Australian captain couldn't stop the Ferns' fast pace with an uncharacteristically average shooting performance.Meanwhile, Folau and Selby-Rickit played on with a 100 per cent shooting rate in the second quarter aided by a forceful Ferns midcourt featuring stellar efforts by Gina Crampton and Samantha Sinclair.Ferns defender and player of the match Jane Watson was in sublime form picking up vital rebounds and intercepts. And, unlike in the past few games, the Ferns treasured possession - capitalising from almost every opportunity they were given to stun their opponents and put the World Champions in unfamiliar territory.Pulling ahead to their biggest lead in the series so far, the Ferns made sure they kept the pressure on their rivals right until the final moments to steal the show and finally deliver a passionate home crowd that winning feeling.The decisive win restores hope that the Silver Ferns could claim the annual Constellation Cup for the first time since 2012 but need at least a massive 14-goal win on Thursday night in Wellington to pull it off. 

LISTEN TO MARG FOSTER TALK WITH D'ARCY AND GORAN ABOVEFrom making uncountable changes to making none.Silver Ferns coach Noeline Taurua took a different approach to Wednesday night's Constellation Cup loss against the Australian Diamonds – and at times, it appeared to work.The new coach was criticised for making too many alterations during the Silver Ferns' 15-goal loss to the Diamonds on Sunday after selecting a rather inexperienced starting line-up including young goal shoot Aliyah Dunn.Taurua urged for patience after she revealed that she still hadn't found her ideal starting seven nor her perfect shooting combination and needed to expose the younger players to the international stage.But in what appeared an attempt to settle things and gun for a win, Taurua took a step back last night.The Ferns did go down for the ninth consecutive time against their rivals, however, performed much more consistently across the court and showed exciting improvements.Although admitting that there were moments she was tempted to make changes, Taurua said she was pleased by how her selected seven performed."I'm rapt that we've been able to keep the seven out there, it does highlight areas that we need to improve on and work on as individuals but we'll get a lot of mileage out of that and a lot of confidence.""We're still looking for combinations, looking for units but I thought there was a better balance out there in regards to the personal ... I thought they fought really well."Maria Folau was given her second start in the goal shoot bib – a position the veteran goal attack has rarely played in recent history.Playing alongside Te-Paea Selby-Rickit in the shooting circle, Folau showed great potential in the position and will likely be handed the start again with Taurua pleased with the performance of the duo."I was rapt with what she did in the goal shoot position, I thought she provided us with stability there and obviously as we all know she can shoot so getting the ball to her increased in volume and that's very pleasing," she said."I thought she was smart ... she led from the back and I was pleased by that."Skipper Laura Langman, who made history last night becoming the most capped Silver Fern with 146 tests now to her name, wasn't concerned about her side's second loss in the cup series.Modest about her achievement, Langman said she was concentrating on the long-term plan and said she was confident in the Ferns' progress."For me, it's always the bigger picture," Langman said, "I was really pleased that we were recognising the moments and I think that was a really big step forward from where we had been."I think that's a real positive and I felt too we did run with, them now it's just that next step about really punching through."The Ferns will be desperate to avoid another Constellation Cup whitewash with just two tests left to claim a win over their biggest rivals.The two sides will meet again in four days time at Hamilton's Claudelands area for the third test of the annual series. 

LISTEN TO NOELINE TAURUA TALK WITH D'ARCY AND GORAN ABOVEThe Silver Ferns have made changes in all areas of the court as they prepare for the Constellation Cup.Silver Ferns head coach Noeline Taurua has introduced three new players to the New Zealand side which went down by just five goals to the Australian Diamonds last month.Maia Wilson, Sulu Fitzpatrick, and Erikana Pedersen - who were all initially named in the Silver Ferns Development Squad - have been rewarded for their performances in both this week's training camp and the recent ANZ Premiership season.The trio have been included for the four test series against the Australian Diamonds which tips off in Brisbane this Sunday.Taurua said although the Ferns were focused on delivering quality netball during the Constellation Cup, she wanted to look at various combinations as they continue their build-up to next year's Netball World Cup in England."There are limited opportunities to see how our players perform against the best in the world, but we also have to be mindful that we want to build on the performances that the Silver Ferns have produced so far," Taurua said."We want to have a look at combinations and what those players bring to the mix."Wilson, who has been in and out of the squad since her debut in 2016, replaces Ameliaranne Ekenasio in the shooting circle.Well known for her accuracy and court craft in the circle, Wilson said she we relishing the opportunity to prove her worth again against the world's best defenders."I'm a strong target, I think that's the main thing for why I've been picked in here ... my job out there is to get out on the court, put the ball in the hoop and always be available," she said."[Australia] are a very physical bunch and I think that's part of what the game's turning into now and I think we've been prepping a lot in training to be able to hack it and take those balls with whatever pressure we've got on us."Fitzpatrick, who gained her one test cap as a teenager back in 2011, will join Central Pulse team-mate and Ferns' vice-captain Katrina Grant in the defensive circle.Taurua said she hoped that the duo's formidable style will better combat the towering Australian shooters."With Sulu coming in we definitely have presence there now in the circle defence," Taurua said."She's a bigger-bodied person and she's got a lot of presence in the circle ... but she provides us something else in our defensive unit, and we're looking for someone to explore that a bit more against Australia."Taurua has had her entire squad in camp this week, including defenders Kelly Jury and Casey Kopua who were both ruled out of the series as they continue their injury rehabilitation.The two defenders are expected to return to the court for January's Quad Series.The Constellation Cup moves to Townsville this week before heading to Hamilton on October 14 and Wellington on October 18.Silver Ferns side to play in Constellation Cup: Gina Crampton, Aliyah Dunn, Sulu Fitzpatrick, Maria Folau, Katrina Grant, Laura Langman (captain), Erikana Pedersen, Te Paea Selby-Rickit, Sam Sinclair, Michaela Sokolich-Beatson, Jane Watson, Maia Wilson. 

LISTEN TO CAT TUIVAITI TALK WITH D'ARCY AND GORAN ABOVEThe Silver Ferns may have decisively snapped their four-game losing streak but head coach Noeline Taurua has urged her side not to get ahead of themselves."There were some beautiful signs out there but we've got to be realistic," Taurua told Radio Sport."We aren't going to build Rome in a day and can't get too carried away with ourselves."The Ferns dominated South Africa's Proteas 61-37 last night at Tauranga's Baypark Arena with a vastly improved performance just three days after suffering a historic loss to England in Auckland.With world-class shooting statistics and a defence unit that played with confidence, Taurua was pleased with the Ferns' performance as she claimed her first win as head coach of the national side.However, Taurua was realistic about her approach ahead of Sunday's final Quad Series game when the Ferns play the Australian Diamonds and warned that it would be a truer test of the Kiwi side's skill."Massive step up against South Africa, but it's only one game. We've spoken about consistency ... and for that to happen you've got to consistently perform," Taurua said."No disrespect to South Africa at all, or Norma [Plummer], but once we get to England and Australia, all the class acts and they are beasts in their own rights, we'll know how good or how far we are from the opposition."There's no reason why we can't win but it will be up to how much discipline we have and whether we're prepared to feel uncomfortable out there when they put the pressure on us."Maria Folau, who received criticism for not taking more responsibility after a poor shooting performance on Saturday, was back in action last night and played a key role in the Ferns' impressive score margin.Netting 35 goals at 95 per cent accuracy, the seasoned veteran was clearly out to make a statement and Taurua will be hoping that her star shooter can continue that momentum."She played brilliantly, I've never seen her turn to the post as much as she did ... shooting was amazing and I've never seen her shoot to that high percentage for a very long time," Taurua said."She knew that after the first game it wasn't what was required or what she expected of herself ... these top players always come out firing the next game so fantastic game for her individually."If we can put some of those things that we put out against South Africa in regards to the connections and in regards to our shooting percentage ... I'll be absolutely rapt."The Ferns will depart to Melbourne this afternoon ahead of Sunday's clash at Hisense Arena.

Can the All Blacks dominate the Wallabies again in the second Bledisloe Cup Test? Plus Netball NZ eases its eligibility rule to allow Maria Folau to play in Australia - but is that good for the game?

Can the All Blacks dominate the Wallabies again in the second Bledisloe Cup Test? Plus Netball NZ eases its eligibility rule to allow Maria Folau to play in Australia - but is that good for the game?

“You can't make excuses. You had to wake up every morning to train. You had to eat the right foods and make sure you were hydrated. Those were the things that dad always instilled in us, and to not let anyone stand in the way.” My guest on the show today is one of New […]The post EP 54 – Maria Folau – Positive Parenting, Learning to Shoot, and her Love for Netball appeared first on AUT Millennium News.

“You can't make excuses. You had to wake up every morning to train. You had to eat the right foods and make sure you were hydrated. Those were the things that dad always instilled in us, and to not let anyone stand in the way.” My guest on the show today is one of New […]The post EP 54 – Maria Folau – Positive Parenting, Learning to Shoot, and her Love for Netball appeared first on AUT Millennium News.